Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Product: Ultrasone DJ1 Pro Headphones
Price: $239.99
Rating: Average - 6.75/10
Pros: Comfortable earpieces with independent left and right volume controls. Extra cords, ear cups, audio jack adaptors, and more are included.
Cons: Earpieces come off easily, sound not consistent from various sources
Overall: For the price you are getting a great product package but we experience sub-par sound quality from some sources but did appreciate the noise reduction and comfort.

Design - 7 - A very comfortable headphone which is extremely important regardless of if you are listening to music at home, or working as a DJ. The colors are simple and the soft earpieces feel great on the ears. Not only are the ear pieces comfortable but the fit on your head is unlike any I’ve felt. A tight grip allows you to rock out right along with the music. These headphones are also designed to protect your hearing. With a built in Natural surround sound system you are getting a 40% lower db output all the while not losing the same loud rockin attitude.

Performance - 6 - At first I was amazed with how great the headphones sounded. Like a symphony in my head I was excited to hear the next song. During a party I DJ’ed they worked great but on a separate mixer the sound was a little weaker. I’ve used other headphones and these have an excellent sound coming out of them. The fact that you can adjust the sound to either ear is a definite advantage to some. Overall I was disappointed in the lack of consistency between mixers I plugged the headphones into (my Sony 700’s had the same output each time).

Features - 7.5 - These headphones are durable and just in case your about as wild with your equipment as you are with your parties do not fear. UltraSone has provided you with extra ear pieces as well as coiled cord. Not a DJ, not a problem with a 3.5 mm mini-phone stereo you can enjoy these headphones no matter where you are. So plug them into your mp3 player or into your laptop. Either way your looking ultra stylish in UltraSones DJ1 Pro Headphones.

Editors note - The categories were rated in the following manner to calculate the final rating: Design 30%, Performance 40%, and Features 30%.

Product: Ultrasone iCans
Price: $129.00
Rating: Very Good - 8.0
Pros: Great design, and comfort; weigh in at only 82g.
Cons: Crossbar is a little oddly shaped, difficult to extend them fresh out of the box
Overall: A great choice for headphones if you’re willing to dish out $129.00.  They’re comfortable enough for you to wear virtually all day and you won’t even feel a thing.

Design - 7.0 - The iCans catch your attention right away with the packaging.  They come in a slick black box that would give you the high-end feel even if what was inside sucked.  Inside of this box is… another box; this time a silver one.  The box is embossed with “iCans” and is just as slick as its black sleeve.  When you take the metal lid off, there they are folded up in the box gleaming at you.  When you take them out of the box (and think to yourself, “how am I ever going to get it back in there”), they’re still folded up.  In order to get them looking like headphones, you fold the earpieces down, and out.  Now don’t confuse that with out, then down, or you’ll have yourself some broken headphones.  Now that they’re looking like normal headphones, your first thought is, “they’re miniature?” No, no… they’re not miniature.  They’re just not extended.  I have to say it took me a couple of minutes to do this.  I actually had to put some ummf into it to get the sides to extend.  After doing this several times however, they loosened up a little so I didn’t feel like I was going to break them anymore.

The headphones are very oddly shaped.  When you put them on your head, the come off of your head at the top right and top left a good amount… to the point where it looks like you have horns… but hey, who am I to judge, horns can be good!?  On a different note, the headphones do look amazing.  They have a shiny metallic finish with “iCans” embossed into it on each side… and a white, Apple-like cord.  Overall, the headphones are stylish and well designed.

Read on for more about the Ultrasone iCans.

Comfort - 9.0 - I can’t say that I’ve every put on a pair of headphones more comfortable than the iCans.  The cushions are light on your ears (and they only weigh 82 grams), so extended use is not a problem.  The one thing that concerns me is that when I wear them, I need them to be extended as far as they go, leaving no room for people with a bigger head than me.  And it’s not like I’m leaving any room on the top, the crossbar is actually hitting my head.  So if you have a huge head, maybe these aren’t the best choice for you.

Performance - 8.0 - This is the moment you’ve been waiting for.  The iCans sound great whether you’re listening to hard rock, classic rock, or even 50 Cent!  The treble is impeccable, but the bass is not the best.  It may have been just the songs I was listening to, but there wasn’t as much thump as some headphones I’ve heard.  Even the Logitech Wireless Headphones had more bass action than these.  But like I said… they still sound amazing.

Overall - I think that the iCans definitely have potential to be my headphones of choice.  If Ultrasone corrected the horn-like crossbar (see above), it would be tough to find a more comfortable, better performing pair.  If you’re looking for slick headphones that you can wear all day without even feeling them, the Ultrasone iCans are for you.

Editors note - The overall rating was calculated by weighting design as 30%, comfort as 30%, and performance as 40%.